I curled my fingers around the photo, now creased. A flush of delight flowed through me, and a grin exploded.
Anthony is alive.
I had always known he was alive.
But, I needed - demanded - proof.
Everything was going to be alright now.
The glass door flung open, and a family of four entered. The light wind ruffled into the space, and I could finally hear the foreign music hosted in the corner.
"Your best bet of finding him is through this guy." She slid another photo across the table before scooping the dessert into her mouth.
I glanced down at the photo and saw a young man. He had a black jacket and regular ripped jeans. "Who's he?"
"The survivor of your husband's kidnapper," Alice spoke casually, melting another scoop into her mouth.
Alice tapped on top of the paper and then stood up. "Well-" she looked at Ian, who gave her a thumb up, indicating that the USB was real. "I'm out."
I grabbed her wrist. "Do you not think you should help out all the way?" I don't understand why I would do or say that.
Alice scoffed, pulling her arm back. "Why should I?"
"Because...Because-" She's right. Why should she help? We had a deal, and the deal was - she helped me find Anthony. I stared at the black and white photo of the devious man, perfectly alive and healthy. Well, he looks like he is about to collapse any second.
"Because, whether you like it or not, you consider Anthony, your friend."
Alice tried to silence a laugh before swiping a tongue across her inner cheek. "You're kidding me. Me? Be friends with the mafia leader?" she smirked. "You think too highly of me, Bianchi. How can a typical normal girl like me be friends with someone so powerful?"
Typical?
Normal?
You're anything but ordinary!
Alice flipped back her long dark hair. "Look, I came here for one thing...okay, two. One is a nice trip to Japan because the dumb couple didn't invite me, and two-" she waved the USB in the air. "Mission accomplished."
"If you don't help, perhaps Neilson would." Drew threw her fiance's card on the table. It seems like he is her weakness.
She glared at him. "We had a deal."
"Some deals are meant to be broken, and I'm certain Neilson is willing to help, as the American would call it, a brother out."
"Have you all looked at it from my standpoint? You're asking me to help the Italian mafia - helping you find one of the most hated men in the world. Not city. State. Country. But, the world. I did what I can."
"You're afraid," Drew spoke in a low tone, causing her eyes to narrow. He planted his palms against the table. "You're afraid what happened seven years ago will re-surface."
She flinched at his words.
Steadily, the edge of his lips curled upward. "I'm right, aren't I?"
"Something seven years ago does not matter now."
What are they talking about?
"Oh, but we both know it does. It's the perfect reason for Neilson to return to his rightful life as an Esposito."
The fan above us seemingly ran harder as the air was dense. Dominic and Dayton stood in the background, shrugging their shoulders at each other. Ian merely took a few blinks, indicating that none of them understood the conversation.
